Ivry Prozdor Course Catalog 2011-2012

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welcome to another great year at the rebecca and israel ivry prozdor high school this academic year we have new and returning faculty members offering many first-time courses that we hope will connect you to judaism in new and exciting ways please go through this catalog and choose first and second choices for each class period you can return the registration form located in the middle of this booklet by mail or go online to register at www.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor we will do all we can to place you in your first-choice classes however it is first-come first-placed so the sooner you submit your class choices the more likely it will be that you will get the courses you want please submit your class choices no later than september 7 if you are a new student and plan to take the intensive hebrew doubleperiod class please choose this course and we will contact you about taking a placement exam classes begin on sunday september 18 if you find after the first or second week that a class is not a good choice for you let rabbi lori forman-jacobi principal of ivry prozdor know as soon as possible classes can be changed through sunday october 9 during the fall semester in addition to classes we will have our annual shabbaton friday through sunday november 4 ­ 6 at camp ramah in nyack where will be staying in their new dormitory building during this shabbaton we will have a chance to daven study and have fun together you will be able to make new friends and spend time with friends from past years we will provide details about the shabbaton in early september for now make sure it is on your calendar it is a mandatory part of participating in ivry prozdor i look forward to a wonderful year if you have any questions about the courses please do not hesitate to contact me at 212 678-8938 or loforman@jtsa.edu best rabbi lori forman-jacobi principal ps feel free to pass on this course catalog to any friends you think may be interested in attending ivry prozdor it s not too late to register for fall 2011.

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period 1 core classes grade 8 core confronting the shoah eric woodward we will study the holocaust not simply to know a piece of history but to evaluate how this piece of history affects who we are in order to understand what the loss of six million european jews really means we will first become acquainted with the jews in europe before the holocaust who were these jews where did they live what was important to them what were their identities next we will examine how hitler came to power and orchestrated the murder of six million jews and the destruction of the european jewish community by the end of the class we will ask what lessons do we draw if the holocaust does indeed change us how does it transform us as jews americans human beings grade 9 core do mitzvot matter examining the mitzvah initiative open to all 9th graders joshua schwartz based on the successful mitzvah initiative program developed by jts chancellor arnold eisen for use in synagogues and throughout north america this is a course about mitzvah in all its complexities we think of our lives as journeys and like the idea of writing the scripts of our lives as we go in many respects judaism asks individuals to bring intention and meaning to their lives as their journeys unfold we each ask ourselves how do my actions reflect what is of ultimate value this class will stimulate discussion on visiting the sick hevrah kaddisha kashrut shabbat tzedakah tefillah and other mitzvot students will have an opportunity to consider what their own signature mitzvah is grade 9 core mishnayot that matter what is our role in the world open to 9th-grade day school graduates who want to continue studying rabbinics using the hebrew text mick fine when is going to war a commandment what are your obligations if you find a lost object in public how has the concept of tikkun `olam changed over thousands of years how did the rabbis deal with stubborn and rebellious children in this course students will tackle some of these and other case studies that judaism has grappled with for generations explore these ideas through reading and analysis of torah and mishnah as well as ancient medieval and modern commentary using hebrew text some contemporary newspaper articles and selections from modern literature in english will also deepen our discussions w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor 1

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electives grades 9­12 beyond blogging spiritual autobiography writing workshop shira dicker learn the art and craft of spiritual autobiography through blogging you are unique the author of the story ­ or stories ­ of your life you have a distinctive voice and point of view that belongs to you and you alone in this exciting course you will learn how to master first-person writing by creating your own blog spend sunday mornings exploring great writing ­ from jewish history through contemporary pop culture ­ and learning by example join us as we delve into unforgettable texts including those you will produce for class experience the challenge of the writing workshop where material is discussed and respectfully critiqued be prepared to amaze yourself self-knowledge awaits you halakhah for heretics rabbi jeremy kalamonfsky conservative jews affirm that jewish law obligates us even though we are honest enough to admit that jewish practice has always changed over the centuries and that god didn t write the torah why do we persist in following a changing law how do conservative rabbis practice jewish law in un-orthodox ways when it comes to issues such as shabbat homosexuality feminism and so on from murder to genocide violence in the bible dr regina stein the bible begins its story of humanity s adventure on earth with a tale of murder it paints a picture of a god who commands ancient israel to worship by killing animals and who is pleased when one israelite zealously kills another it recounts episodes of child sacrifice it mandates wars of conquest to settle the promised land and calls for genocide against israel s enemies what roles do these violent stories play in the bible how do they impact our understanding of the biblical claim that its ways are pleasant and all its paths are peaceful we will explore these questions as we analyze the stories of cain and abel pinchas jephtah s daughter the conquest of canaan and the command to wipe out every amalekite man woman and child a command closely tied to our joyous celebration of purim students will have a choice of reading the passages in hebrew or in english translation 2 prozdorcoursecatalogfall 2 0 11

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life not the game roni tabick why are we here when does life begin what is death in this class we will discuss some of the big questions about life and death through the use of traditional and modern texts we will look at the roots and meaning and preservation of life and death do the improvements in our physical lives come at the expense of our spiritual lives how often do we take a step back and ask what are we here for is it about creating a better world or ensuring that there is a next generation to follow us is there some kind of lifelong mission or are the efforts of life in the end meaningless as kohelet the book of ecclesiastes might suggest period 2 core classes grade 10 core jews judaism and modernity jessica kirzane the 18th century radically changed the ways in which jews believed practiced their religion related to non-jews got married educated their children earned a living fought their battles organized their communities and understood what it meant to be a jew what were the key events and ideas that precipitated these changes how successful were the innovative movements and isms that modern jews created in response are we continuing those modern responses today or are we creating new postmodern jewish realities this seminar will focus on primary sources and texts to explore and evaluate these issues as we chart our course through the 21st century grade 11 core jewish philosophy eric woodward philosophy ­ which means the love of wisdom ­ has long been in conversation with religion that peculiar and ancient system of social symbols that tries to embody wisdom and virtue and help us make meaning out of the world in this class we will look at three important jewish philosophers moses maimonides baruch spinoza and abraham joshua heschel and explore two major dichotomies atheism and theism and the body and the soul we will not provide answers but we will lay the groundwork for thinking about philosophy jewishly and judaism philosophically w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor 3

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grade 12 core the bible archaeology and history dr regina stein we study the hebrew bible in every jewish school and read parts of it in the daily liturgy and at every shabbat and holiday service it is filled with wonderful stories about our ancestors and teaches us the values by which we are commanded to live but is it true did the events it recounts really happen did abraham and sarah really live was the exodus from egypt that we celebrate every pesah a historic event can we reconstruct what life was like for israelites at the time of king david there are different approaches to responding to these questions we will compare the answers given by the traditional rabbis modern biblical scholars historians and archaeologists ultimately you will be the judge which arguments will you find persuasive and why should you care if the bible is historically true or not period 2 electives grades 8 and 9 how others see us how we see ourselves mick fine for centuries jews as the minority were seen as the other and subjugated to social economic and political limitations however today in america jews are often thought of as privileged and the stigma of being jewish has all but disappeared this class will look at how societies over time conceived of the jewish people and of judaism as a religion students will also consider how jews have seen themselves as both part of and separate from their larger host communities at times christian muslim or secular lastly students will reflect on the american jewish experience and blessings and challenges that come with living in a diverse pluralistic society judaism and superheroes joshua schwartz in this course we will explore the essential connection between our self-image as jews and a society whose heroes seem to be very different from us students will tackle this subject from a variety of angles including the notion of a hero history of jews in the creation of superhero literature superheroes we may find in our own tradition jewish values and themes we can find in superhero literature and movies and finally tales of jewish superheroes to cover this wide range of topics we will study texts from such diverse sources as the tanakh hebrew bible talmud the corpus of jewish folktales tales of hassidic rebbes and of course comic books 4 prozdorcoursecatalogfall 2 0 11

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the prozdor press shira decker think that only experienced reporters have a nose for news there are a million stories waiting to be written about your school your home your synagogue and your community there are mysteries to solve personalities to profile tragedies and celebrations that need to be covered there are scandals and achievements that deserve to be written about there are noteworthy sports cultural fashion stories and even celebrity news ­ and much of it has a jewish angle in this fun and high-energy course we will create a newsroom environment where every member of the class plays a role ­ from reporter to editor to publicist to designer the goal is to get you to pay attention to the cool news in your jewish community and the world at large and to write about it do you know the history of your synagogue or your community what about the private lives of some of the people who are local leaders have you admired anyone in your community is something in the world making you really angry through learning basic journalistic skills and workshopping written assignments students of this unique course will sharpen their skill of observation their insight and their writing they will also learn how to address the question what s jewish about this story period 3 electives intensive beit midrash double-period class joshua schwartz beit midrash means house of seeking each week we ll get together and confront selections from jewish texts to seek out the meaning and relevance in these ancient words to our own lives what am i doing in this world how should i relate to the people around me what is god what is beautiful what is evil all of these questions and more will be on the table students will prepare texts in hevrutot-pairs and then come together for a shiur with the teacher come seek all texts will be provided in hebrew and english translation w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor 5

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name of student grade address phone home phone cell email register by mail ivry prozdor high school the jewish theological seminary 3080 broadway new york ny 10027 register by fax 212 678-8833 register online www.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor if you have any questions please contact rabbi lori forman-jacobi at 212 678-8938 or loforman@jtsa.edu to register for the honors program please see enclosed handout or email rabbi lori forman-jacobi at loforman@jtsa.edu w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor 7

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intensive hebrew double-period class llona ben moshe daphna afber hagit halperin naama potok ella shaked we will be offering up to six different levels of hebrew language classes from beginner to very advanced students will work to improve their reading grammar writing and speaking skills various materials will be used including modern hebrew passages computer-based work and creative projects to get students to practice their hebrew speaking skills students should be open to doing one hour of homework per week in order to ensure progress in learning hebrew between rupture and continuity a look at jewish secularism abraham rubin can jews be secular this class explores the writings of zionist visionaries assimilated european cosmopolitans and anti-halakhic philosophers in order to examine their relationship to conventional jewish thought we will be reading these jewish secular texts under the assumption that they do not demonstrate a clean break with the past but are in fact responses to it according to this approach heretics such as philosopher baruch spinoza and poet heinrich heine become the intellectual descendants of maimonides the amoraim early jewish scholars 200 to 500 ce and other jewish commentators throughout history ultimately the goal of this class is to show that despite ruptures with halakhic tradition we can find much continuity we will also discuss how this relates to our relationship with halakhah today devils and demons love and laughter yiddish theater jessica kirzane do you like going to broadway plays well step back in time to immerse yourself in the world of yiddish theater that thrived not on broadway but in eastern european capitals and on the lower east side of new york we will read god man and devil by jacob gordin to see what happens when a jewish man makes a pact with the devil the dybbuk by s ansky to learn how to exorcise the spirit of a dead fiancé from a haunted young woman and the two kuni lemls by avram goldfadn to see what made jews laugh at the beginning of yiddish theater in this course we will read from some of the most famous plays of the yiddish theater in english translation we will stage scenes watch clips from films and learn some fun yiddish phrases that will help us explore these and other questions jnn jewish news analysis eric woodward are you a news junkie would you like to know more about what s happening in jewish communities around the world in this class students will learn about current social and political matters of jewish relevance whether they have to do with the white house s response to an israeli government decision a jewish athlete who makes the news or the tensions that exist within the jewish community itself the current news will be our text and we will learn not only about the events as they occur but also about how they affect our lives students will learn how to read news articles with a critical eye toward uncovering bias 8 prozdorcoursecatalogfall 2 0 11

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period 4 electives intensive beit midrash double-period class joshua schwartz beit midrash it means house of seeking each week we ll get together and confront selections from jewish texts to seek out the meaning and relevance in these ancient words to our own lives what am i doing in this world how should i relate to the people around me what is god what is beautiful what is evil all of these questions and more will be on the table students will prepare texts in hevrutot-pairs and then come together for a shiur with the teacher come seek all texts will be provided in hebrew and english translation intensive hebrew double-period class llona ben moshe daphna afber hagit halperin naama potok ella shaked and others we will be offering up to six different levels of hebrew language classes from beginner to very advanced students will work to improve their reading grammar writing and speaking skills various materials will be used including modern hebrew passages computer-based work and creative projects to get students to practice their hebrew speaking skills students should be open to doing one hour of homework per week in order to ensure progress in learning hebrew money and morality judaism and business ethics rabbi lori forman-jacobi we will explore the ethics of business and the role of money as defined by judaism today the value of everything is often solely based on the price for which it can be sold our culture is often defined as one of commercialization and greed business and business ethics play a central role in jewish discourse judaism doesn t differentiate between business practices and spiritual matters both realms are seen as holy we will read case studies and discuss topics such as whether it s ethical to embellish one s resume the ethical practices of global companies the importance of full disclosure in business deals and the role of unions today and their history in jewish life in america we will also look at anti-semitism and the jew as money-lender in jewish history lastly we will take a serious look at what judaism teaches about giving jewishly what we call tzedakah and others call philanthropy prozdor has enabled me to experience judaism intellectually and holistically and to view it as a philosophy with which to grapple rather than as an obstacle it opened my mind to new perspectives penina kessler graduate `11 w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor 9

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the ethics of desire love friendship and intimacy in the talmud abraham rubin throughout this course we will read a wide variety of aggadic passages stories intended for moral instruction from the talmud that will expose us to the interpersonal world of the rabbis as they vacillate between love and jealousy generosity and pettiness relying on traditional talmudic commentary and contemporary literary theory we will read the stories to better understand the rabbinic imagination and the portrayal of its ideals of masculinity femininity charity intimacy and friendship rather than restrict the stories to a reflection of the rabbis socio-historical reality we will try to open our minds to new interpretations and examine the relevance of these stories to our own lives and use them to question our own perception of gender relations tzedakah and chesed jewish mythology roni tabick beneath the surface of the bible lie ancient jewish myths with ferocious sea monsters mighty heroes and deadly battles in this class we will look at some of the myths of the bible and compare them to world mythology the norse god thor and the jewish sea monster leviathan the judge samson and the greek hercules the nature of satan in the hebrew bible the sons of god and the titans and the archetype of the hero s journey at the end of our course we will write our own myths and legends that reflect our world as we experience it i love prozdor because now i am ready to hold my own in the world i am ready to use my faith my judaism as an inspiration for leading a worthwhile virtuous life in the days ahead sam spencer graduate `11 10 prozdorcoursecatalogfall 2 0 11

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rebecca and israel ivry prozdor high school principal rabbi lori forman-jacobi has a lengthy history when it comes to hebrew high schools she is a graduate of los angeles hebrew high school and considers the years she spent there as formative to her own jewish development she assumed the role of principal at ivry prozdor last year and prior to this served as the senior vice principal of curriculum and administration at the bergen county high school of jewish studies rabbi forman-jacobi received a ba from the university of california at berkeley and was ordained at jts in 1988 she is the coauthor of two books sacred intentions daily inspiration to strengthen the spirit and restful reflections nighttime inspiration to calm the soul ivry prozdor faculty daphna abfer is fluent in many languages including german hebrew english and chinese she earned a ba in international relations and east asia studies and an ma in east asia studies both from hebrew university of jerusalem ms afber worked at the mandel foundation training young adults from ethiopia in leadership skills and served as an officer in the israel defense forces she lived in china for nearly two years where she taught english as a foreign language and has resided in the united states for the past five years she participated in the arthur borinsky young leadership development program of united jewish communities metro west ilona ben-moshe was born and raised in israel she received her ba in comparative literature from tel-aviv university and her ma in communications from the hebrew university of jerusalem she has been teaching hebrew as a second language since 1991 at various academic institutes including the hebrew university of jerusalem the university of lucerne switzerland w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor dartmouth college hebrew college and smith college in addition she served as the hebrew language coordinator of prozdor boston ms ben-moshe has recently moved to new york to teach at new york university shira dicker is a new york­based writer and communications and marketing professional her articles have appeared in such venues as the new york times jerusalem report jerusalem post tikkun forward and new york jewish week as a consultant she has worked on numerous important books and documentary films and with authors personalities cultural institutions museums and organizations among these are the jewish theological seminary the rabbinical assembly ujafederation of new york the national foundation for jewish culture the international fellowship of christians and jews and yeshiva university museum ms dicker contributed a chapter nature spirit body to ecology the jewish spirit where nature and the sacred meet edited by ellen bernstein jewish lights 2000 she is also a 11

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contributor to a dream of zion american jews reflect on why israel matters to them edited by jeffrey k salkin jewish lights 2008 her short story new girl is included in the best-selling anthology nice jewish girls dutton 1996 she is the author of bungalow babe in the big city a blog http bungalow-babe blogspot.com which grew out of bungalow babe a weekly column in the times herald record of orange county ny ms dicker is married to the writer ari l goldman and is the mother of three children adam emma and judah mick fine is a third-year rabbinical student at jts mr fine joins us this year for his fifth year as an ivry prozdor teacher he completed his ba in hebrew language and literature at ohio state university and continued his studies as a delet fellow at brandeis where he completed an ma in teaching hebrew mr fine has spent the past several years working in jewish education first as a hebrew school teacher and then as a full-time jewish studies educator at the solomon schechter school of manhattan and more recently editing and writing curriculum for hazon teva and jdc he continues his work at ivry prozdor this year and will be returning to b nai jeshurun as rabbinic intern in youth and family education hagit halpern grew up in israel on a kibbutz in israel she studied at the midrashah le amanut a college for art education in new york she completed a bachelor s degree in restoration at fashion institute of technology and a master s degree in jewish art and visual culture at jts ms halperin taught art and hebrew for many years in israel and new york more 12 recently she was an education director at east end temple and currently she teaches hebrew at the rodeph sholom school in manhattan jessica kirzane is a phd student in yiddish studies at columbia university she received bas in english language and literature and jewish studies from the university of virginia and before coming to new york she spent a year studying jewish history hebrew and yiddish at hebrew university in jerusalem ms kirzane has taught at many levels from preschool to university and she currently teaches yiddish language at columbia university her research interests include theories of race and ethnicity american yiddish prose fiction and the history of jewish women s social and political activism in the early 20th century in her spare time jessica loves singing baking jogging and masterpiece theatre naama potak is bilingual and bicultural having lived both in israel and the united states she is currently on the hebrew language faculty of the solomon schechter school of manhattan ms potak holds a ba from harvard university an ma in philosophy from oxford university and an mfa from depaul university she is an accomplished actress on both screen and stage abraham rubin a native of haifa israel spent a year of study at yeshivat ein tzurim prior to his national service he earned his ba in history and multidisciplinary studies with highest honors from the university of haifa and his ma in literature from tel-aviv university mr rubin is prozdorcoursecatalogfall 2 0 11

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currently a doctoral student of comparative literature at city university of new york a former recipient of awards from the german academic exchange daad and the wissenschaftszentrum nordrheinwestfalen he has spent periods of study at various academic institutions such as the university of tübingen heinrich heine university and university college dublin joshua schwartz is a recent alumnus of jts graduating in 2008 from list college with degrees in talmud bible and philosophy of religion he is currently pursuing a phd in jewish mysticism at new york university mr schwartz has also participated in a number of extra-curricular study programs including the northwoods kollel at ramah wisconsin yeshivat hadar and the pardes kollel in jerusalem he is an enthusiastic fan of improv comedy comic books avant-garde music and you ella shaked has lived in the united states for the past 15 years in israel she was a teacher and also worked as a medical reporter for the daily newspaper ma ariv she has an ma in jewish history from touro college she taught hebrew and israeli literature for 11 years at the golda ochs academy formerly known as the solomon schechter high school of west orange and for the last two years she has been on the hebrew faculty at the middle school of ramaz in new york city ms shaked has also taught at touro college in new york and at morris college in new jersey dr regina stein currently teaches at the skirball center for adult jewish learning at temple emanu-el and for the context the adult jewish learning program of jts she has a ba in history from brooklyn college an ms in information systems from the city college of new york and an ma and phd in jewish history from jts dr stein served as national director of the hadassah leadership academy and has been on the faculty of the academy for jewish religion and of clal the national jewish center for learning and leadership she has taught for the wexner heritage foundation and bronfman youth program in israel as well as jts temple university and the pardes institute of jewish studies in jerusalem roni tabick is the newest gladstein fellow and a second-year rabbinical student at the jewish theological seminary he studied math and philosophy at oxford and taught religion at manchester grammar school after his studies he hopes to return to work in the masorti movement in the united kingdom roni is married to shoshana tabick eric woodward is a 4th-year rabbinical student at the jewish theological seminary from which he also holds an ma in jewish philosophy he has previously taught in the community midrasha of durham­ chapel hill in north carolina and holds a ba in religion from williams college in williamstown massachusetts originally from los angeles eric enjoys current events pizza and excellent television in his spare time 13 w ww.jtsa.edu/ivryprozdor